Liner hanger packer



y 1968 P. E. DAVIS, JR 3,382,927

LINER HANGER PACKER Filed Feb. 23, 1966 United States Patent 3,382,927LlNER HANGER PACKER Philip E. Davis, Jr., Houston, Tex., assignor toTexas Iron Works, Houston, Tex., a corporation of Texas Filed Feb. 23,1966, Ser. No. 529,378 5 Claims. (Cl. 166-124) ABSTRACT 6F THE DISLOSUREA liner hanger packer having a sealing member about a tubular body withhanging slips positioned below the sealing member, said holddown slipspositioned above the sealing member with a hanger support memberslidably connected to the body and connected to the holddown slipsincluding a threaded connection for support from a setting tool with thethreads extending adjacent the upper end of the body whereby a downwardforce can be directed through the body by the setting tool withoutsetting the holddown slips. Shear means between the holddown slips andthe body and second shear means between the holddown slips cone having ahigher shearing strength than the first shear means, 'and shoulder meansbetween the body and the holddown slips whereby when the body is raisedrelative to the holddown slips the holddown slips are retracted, andreleasing means connected between the body and the hanging slipsnormally holding the hanging slips in 'a retracted position.

The present invention relates to a liner hanger packer, and moreparticularly, relates to a liner hanger having a packer and holddownslips for supporting a liner in a well bore.

SUMMARY The present invention is directed to a liner hanger packerhaving a packer about a tubular body, hanging slips releas'ablyconnected to the body and positioned below the packer and holddown slipsslidably positioned about the body and above the packer in which ahanger support member is slidably connected to the body and connected tothe holddown slips and includes internal threads for connection to asetting tool which is abutted against the upper end of the body so thatits downward setting force can be exerted through the body by thesetting tool without setting the holddown slips and in which a firstshear means is provided between the holddown slips and the body and asecond shear means is provided between a cone connected to the holddownslip assembly and having a higher shearing strength than the first shearmeans and shoulder means is provided between the body and the holddownslips so that when the body is raised relative to the holddown slips theholddown slips may be retracted and the packer retrieved.

Generally, it is an object of the present invention to provide a linerhanger with holddown slips and a pack off which is fully retrievablc.

Further, it is an object of the present invention to provide a linerhanger having a packer and holddown slips which will not set prematurelybut can be hung at any point in the well bore without having to tagbottom, which has a large bypass area for the passage of tools andprevention of hangup by gravel packing, and which is fully retrievable.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision of aliner hanger packer having holddown slips connected to a hanger supportmember including internal threads extending to the body of the hanger sothat a setting tool can set the hanging slips without prematurelysetting the holddown slips and in which the body includes a shoulderpositioned to retract the holddown slips so that the hanger may be fullyretrieved by lifting it by Itjither the support member or the internalsurface oi the ody.

Still a further object of the present invention is the provision of aliner hanger packer having a tubular body with a sealing member about aportion of the body, hanging slips about the body below the packer forsupporting the hanger in the well bore and which is provided withholddown slips slidably positioned about the body above the sealingmember and held in a normally retracted position, and a hanger supportmember slidably connected to the body and to the holddown slips andwhich includes internal threads for connecting to a setting tool withthe threads extending to the upper end of the body so that a downwardforce can be exerted through the body by the setting tool for settingthe hanging slips without setting the holddown slips and shoulder meansbetween the body and the holddown slips whereby when the body is movedupwardly relative to the holddown slips the holddown slips may beretracted and the hanger retrieved.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision of aliner hanger having a packer and holddown slips in which shear pins areconnected between the hanger body and both the holddown slips and thecone in contact with the holddown slips, the shear pin between the coneand the body having a greater strength than the shear pin between theslips and the body whereby the slips may be accurately set and retractedat the proper time.

Other and further objects, features and advantages will be apparent fromthe following description of presently preferred embodiments of theinvention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherelike character references designate like parts throughout the severalviews, and where,

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view, partly in cross-section of oneembodiment of the liner hanger packer of the present invention, and

FIGURE 2 is an elevational view, partly in cross-section illustratingthe apparatus of FIGURE 1 in a partially set position.

Referring now to the drawing, the reference numeral 10 generallyindicates the liner hanger packer of the present invention whichgenerally includes a tubular body 11, a sealing member or packer 12,hanging slips 14, 'and holddown slips 24. The body 11 generally includesa threaded connection 13 at its lower end for connection to a suitableliner (not shown). The top end of the apparatus 10 is connected to asetting tool 36 for connection in a string to the well surface Thepacker 12 may be of any suitable material such as rubber or lead and isslidably positionel about the exterior circumfrenece of a portion of thebody 11. A first or lower cone 22 is slidably positioned about the body11 below 'and against the sealing packer 12 for movement against thepacker for expanding the packer outwardly in a sealing relationship witha casing (not shown). The hanging slips 14 are normally held in aretracted position by suitable releasing means as the apparatus 10 islowered into the well bore. The releasing means may be conventional bowsprings 16 connected to the slips 14, 'a jay slot 20 also connected tothe slips 14 and a pin 18 moveable in the jay slot and connected to thebody 11. Thus, the hanging slips 1-4 may be set by lifting up on thebody 11 and rotating the body 11 counterclockwise from the surface thusreleasing the pin 18 for movement into the long log of the jay slot.Further downward movement of the body d1, 'as best seen in FIGURE 2,will cause the slips 14 to ride upon the cone 22 expanding the sealingpacker 12 outwardly and moving the slips 14 outwardly into engagementwith a well casing for supporting the apparatus 10 in the casing.

A support member 40 is provided in slidable engagement with the body 11and supporting shoulders 42 and 44 are provided on support 40 and thebody 11, respectively for supporting the body 11 from the member 40. Thesupport member 40 includes connecting means such as threads 32 forconnection to and support by a connecting nut 38, which is part of thesetting tool 36, for supporting the apparatus from a conventionalsetting tool 36. Preferably, the connecting means 32 are left handedthreads which it is noted extend to the upper end 34 of the body 11 sothat the connecting nut 38 may be made up in the apparatus 10 againstthe upper end 34 of the body 11. Thus, as best seen in FIGURE 1, adownward force may be exerted through the setting tool 36 directly tothe body 11 by the setting tool to actuate and set the hanging slips 14without shearing the shear pin connection 26 which is provided betweenthe support 40 and the body 11, and prematurely setting the holddownslips 24.

After the hanging slips 14 are set, the setting tool 36, which includesa kelly joint, may be rotated, for example four times to the right thusbacking the connecting nut 38 away from the upper end 34 of the body 11as seen in FIGURE 2. Any suitable non-rotatable means such as spline 41may be provided between member 40 and the body 11 to allow rotationbetween the tool '36 and the member 40. A downward force may again beexerted on the setting tool 36 and the connecting nut 38 {or moving theholddown slips 24 downwardly on an upper or second cone 28 for settingthe holddown slips 24 by shearing shear pin 26.

The second cone 28 is positioned around the outer circumference of thebody 11 and adjacent the packer 12. In order to prevent setting of theholddown slips 24 when the hanging slips 14 are set, the cone 28 isprevented from relative movement to the body 11 by suitable means suchas a shear pin 30 connected between the upper cone 28 and the body 11 orby an abutting shoulder means such as a coupling 43 secured about thebody 11, or both. It is advantageous to have pin 30 set at a much highershear strength than the shear pin 26, and only sheared and released toallow relative movement between the body 11 and the upper cone 28 on apredetermined force during retrieval. Pin 30 thereby prevents prematurereleasing of the holddown slip 24.

After the apparatus 10 is set in the casing with both the hanging slips14 and the holddown slips 24 actuated, conventional operation of thesetting tool and the liner such as for gravel packing may be carried outafter which the working string and the setting tool 36 may be releasedfrom the apparatus 10 and removed from the well bore.

When it is desired to remove the liner hanger apparatus 10 from the wellbore, the nut 38 or any conventional spear may be utilized to catch theinside of the liner for fully retrieving the liner without leavingfragments or junk in the well bore. For instance, if the nut 38 isconnected to the inside of the internal threads 32 in the supportingmember 40 the supporting member 40 can be moved upwardly and since it isconnected to the holddown slips 24, the slips 24 will be retracted fromthe cone 28 which is held in place by the coupling 43 and/ or the shearpin 30 to release the holddown slips 24 and thereby removing the entireapparatus 10. However, since it may be ditficult to spear member 40, asan alternative a spear may be used to catch the inside of the body 11 ofthe apparatus 10 and on an upward pull will shear the pin 30 allowingrelative movement between the body 11 and upper cone 28 allowing thecoupling 43 to move upwardly and contact a releasing shoulder 46connected to the slips '24 thereby retracting the slips 24 off of thecome 28. Thus, the apparatus 10 is fully retrievable and after removalfrom the well bore the shear pins 26 and 30 and the packer 12 may bereplaced and is readily reusable.

In operation, the setting tool is made up connected to the liner hangerapparatus 10, as shown in FIGURE 1, with the connecting nut 38 made upfully to rest against and contact the upper end 34 of the body v11, andthe liner (not shown) is connected to the threads 13 at the lower end ofthe body 11. After placing the apparatus 10 in the hole at the desiredlocation the working string is picked up and turned approximatelyone-half turn to the left to unjay the pin 18 and move it to the longleg of the jay slot 20 thereby allowing the hanging slips 14 to beactuated by slacking off on the working string to move the slips 14 upthe incline of the lower cone 20 and moving the cone 20 against thesealing packer 12 to expand it to a sealing relationship with the casing(not shown). At this point the apparatus 10 is supported in the wellbore. The setting tool 36 is then rotated, for example approximatelyfour turns to the right to back off the connecting nut 38 fromengagement with the upper end 34 of the body 11. The tool is now in theposition shown in FIGURE 2. Then a downward force is applied by theworking tool 36 to the support member 40. While the shear pin 26 may beomitted it is useful in indicating that a downward force, for example6000 lbs. must be exerted to shear ,pin 26 and to insure that theholddown slips 24 will be securely set as they move downwardly over theupper cone 28 into engaging position. Thus, the liner hanger 10 is setin both an upward and downward direction and any other conventionalhanger operation can take place after which the working string and thesetting tool 36 are rotated and removed from the well bore.

If it becomes desirable to retrieve the hanger liner '10, the settingtool 36 can be run into the hole and the connecting nut 38 threaded intothe engaging thread 32 and picked up which will retract the holddownslips 24 and retrieve the apparatus 10 intact. The liner hanger 10 canalso be retrieved with a conventional spear that will catch the insideof the liner body 11 by shearing the pin 30 thereby allowing the linerbody 11 to be moved relative to the cone 28 and the holddown slips 24until the coupling 43 engages the contacting shoulder 46 on the holddownslips 24 thereby retracting them from the upper cone 28 and releasingthe liner hanger 10 from the casing. Normally the shear pin 30 is setfor a high shearing force, for example 60,000 pounds to insure that theholddown slips 24 are not released accidently. Thus, the liner hanger 10in fully retrievable.

The present invention, therefore, is well adapted to carry out theobjects and attain the ends and advantages mentioned as well as othersinherent therein. While a presently preferred embodiment of theinvention is given for the purpose of disclosure, numerous changes inthe details of construction and arrangement of parts can be made whichwill readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art and whichare encompassed within the spirit of the invention and the scope of theappended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A liner hanger packer comprising,

a tubular body,

a sealing member about a portion of the body,

a first cone movably positioned on said body and below the sealingmember,

hanging slips slidably positioned about the body and adjacent the firstcone,

releasing means connected between the body and said hanging slipsnormally preventing the hanging slips moving relative to the body,

a second cone positioned about the body and above the sealing member,

holddown slips slidably positioned about the body adjacent the secondcone,

a hanger support member slidably connected to the body and connected tothe holddown slips and including internal threads for connection to asetting :tool, said threads extending to the upper end of the bodywhereby a downward force can be exerted directly through the body by asetting tool without setting the holddown slips,

nonrotatable means between the support member and the body fortransmitting rotative movement be tween the member and the body,

contacting shoulders between the support member and the body forsupporting the body from the support member, and

shoulder means between the body and the holddown slips whereby when thebody is raised relative to the holddown slips the holddown slips areretracted.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 including,

shear means between the holddown slips and the body holding the slips ina retracted position.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 including,

first shear means between the holddown slips and the body holding theslips in a retracted position, second shear means between the secondcone and the body, said second shear means having a higher shearingstrength than said first shear means, and shoulder mean-s between thebody and the holddown slips whereby when the body is raised relative tothe holddown slips the holddown slips are retracted.

4. In a liner hanger packer having a tubular body, a sealing memberabout a portion of the body, a first cone movably positioned on saidbody and below the sealing member, hanging slips slidably positionedabout the body adjacent the first cone, releasing means connectedbetween the body and the hanging slips normally holding the hangingslips in a retracted position relative to the firs-t cone, theimprovement comprising,

a second cone positioned about the body and above the sealing member,

holddown slips slidably positioned about the body adjacent the secondcone,

shear means connected between the holddown slips and the body fornormally holding the holddown slips in a retracted position,

hanger support member slidably connected to the body and connected tothe holddown slips and including left handed threads for connection to asetting tool, said threads extending adjacent the upper end of the bodywhereby downward force can be exerted directly through the body by asetting tool without setting the holddown slips,

contacting shoulders between the support member and the body forsupporting the body from the support member, and

shoulder means between the body and the holddown slips whereby when thebody is raised relative to the holddown slips the holddown slips areretracted.

5. In a liner hanger packer having a tubular body, a

sealing member about a portion of the body, the first cone movablypositioned on said body and below the sealing member, hanging slipsslidably positioned about the body adjacent the first cone, releasingmeans connected between the body and the hanging slips normally holdingthe hanging slips in a retracted position relative to the first cone,the improvement comprising,

a second cone movably positioned about the body and above the sealingmember,

holddown slips slidably positioned about the body adjacent the secondcone,

first shear means connected between the holddown slips and the body fornormally holding the holddown slips in a retracted position,

second shear means between the second cone and the body, said secondshear means having a higher shearing strength than said first shearmeans,

hanger support member slid-ably connected to the body and connected tothe holddown slips and including internal threads for connection to asetting tool, said threads extending to the upper end of the bodywhereby a downward force can be exerted directly through the body by asetting tool without setting the holddown slips,

a retraction shoulder on the holddown slips positioned to be engaged bythe coupling when the body is raised relative to the holddown slips forreleasing the holddown slips.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,162,179 6/1939 Mueller 166-1342,379,394 6/1945 Young 166-134 2,842,213 7/1958 Burns 166208 3,006,41410/1961 Burns 166-134 3,308,886 3/1967 Evans 166-134 JAMES A. LEPP IN K,Primary Examiner. CHARLES E. OOONNELL, Examiner.

